Today we focus on local veteran business owner Denny Leary, who founded Peak Promotional Group in January 2001. Before starting Peak, Leary was a photographer for the St. Louis Blues for over six years, worked for Delta Air Lines for 15 years, and ran his own travel company for 11 years. He is also president… Read more

There are more than 3,000 different franchises available in the United States. How can you increase your chances of choosing the right one? Following these 10 steps can increase your chances of choosing a franchise that will make you successful both from a personal and financial standpoint. 1. Determine what you can afford and are… Read more

Networking is not easy. You must dedicate time and energy to meet potential clients and to gain information that will help you grow your business. Here are some helpful tips to assist you in becoming a networking guru. Pay Attention to the News. The next time you hear a story in the news that a leader… Read more

Networking is not easy. You must dedicate time and energy to meet potential clients and to gain information that will help you grow your business. Here are some helpful tips to assist you in becoming a networking guru. Pay Attention to the News. The next time you hear a story in the news that a leader… Read more

Social Media, something that seems so simple, yet is so complicated to those who don’t regularly use it. People who use it frequently just don’t seem to comprehend how difficult it can be for people new to social media or to internet functions. With this in mind, I want to give you all 5 tips on how to use Social Media. 1. Pick the Right Platform for your Target Market: ​ Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or maybe all 3! You are the only person who knows what kind of people your business is trying to reach. 2. Be Human, have fun: ​ I know this sounds silly, but when your company gives true, honest responses, it gives the customer a feeling that you have a personal commitment to them; that you care about your customer. Being humorous in some responses can help to create a great lasting impression with customers. 3. Don’t bring it home with you: ​ Don’t sync your business account with your personal phone. Social media can be fun, but when you bring it home with you, it can stress you out and become a 24/7 job. There are so many tools to help you do this, take advantage of them! They’re free! 4. Check Grammar: ​ I get that people when on a phone, don’t pay as much attention to capitalization and maybe where some punctuation should go, but if you’re going to use Social Media, you need to give off a truly professional vibe. People won’t take you seriously until you take yourself seriously. 5. Keep it Simple: ​ Whatever platform you use, keep it simple. There’s no reason to post 3 pages worth of content. Have short little memos that people can read in 3­5 seconds. You want to engage people, not bore them. And with that, I’m done!

We are proud to write a monthly column for FranchisingUSA Magazine. If you wish to view this article and all of our articles inside the magazine. Please follow this link. Ever wonder how your competitors win all those industry awards and what use they are after the chicken dinner ceremony? Here is a little secret. Many… Read more

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Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.